Chapter Twenty-Two: Days Before She Came:

Tana hit record on the tape player.

�Hisoka-kun,� she said. �What�s on your mind tonight?� Hisoka nipped at his fingers in the chair opposite of her desk. He felt too familiar with this position, but yet something was different tonight. He wanted to speak, but didn�t know how to start.

�It�s okay,� Tana said. �Take your time if you need to.� The shinigami didn�t respond. He dug for something in his mind.

�I missed the days before she came,� he confessed. Tana glanced up at him.

�Who?� she asked. Hisoka looked her in the eye.

�She,� he answered. Tana nodded as she got the picture.

�Alright,� she said. �Why do you believe that?� Hisoka didn�t have time to question what he was saying.

�He paid attention to me,� he said.

�Your partner?� Tana asked. Hisoka nodded.

�Tell me,� Tana said. �What�s your relationship with him?�

Hisoka bit his lower lip. �Partners,� he admitted.

�Partners?� Tana asked.

Hisoka looked down at his hands. �And friends,� he reluctantly admitted. Tana narrowed her focus on him.

�And you don�t want that?� she asked. Hisoka shook his head.

�Oh,� the therapist said. �So you�re��

�Yes!� Hisoka shouted with his eyes closed, �I loved Tsuzuki! She just came along and stole him away from me!� He buried his head in his hands. �Why did he have to bring her back from the dead? Since then, she�s ruined everything!� He heaved out a hard sigh. Tana let him keep talking as she took more notes.

Hisoka lifted his head, unable to stop. �She ruined everything,� he complained.

�Do you believe if she was gone, things would go back to normal between you and Tsuzuki?� Tana asked. Hisoka froze at such a question.

�I� I don�t know�� he said inaudible.

�How would Tsuzuki feel if she disappeared?� the therapist asked. Everything stopped cold in Hisoka�s head. He didn�t know why he spoke. Tana lowered her pen.

�You love Tsuzuki, right?� she asked.

Hisoka�s face drained pale. �Yes,� he said barely above a whisper.

�Well then,� Tana said. �If you love him, don�t want him to be happy?� Hisoka stared at her with big lost eyes. The therapist studied his look.

�You�re not sure why you told me, are you?� she asked. Hisoka pressed his lips together. He didn�t know why he kept talking. The boy lowered his head. He mouthed his answer in his palms. Tana had a good guess of what he said. He wanted to talk to anyone about this burden he suffered for months.

Tana stood up and walked over to him. �You did good,� she whispered. She patted him on the head and returned to her desk. The woman hit stop on the recorder. She had to walk him back to his room afterwards.